The Santa Myth

News flash: There is no Santa. A Chicago television news anchor said as much at 9:44 p.m., and she’s right. But apparently parents allow their children to watch the news at night and those children were shocked to learn there is no such thing as Santa Claus. I can’t imagine letting Simone and Nadia stay up that late *and* watch the news. But if they had, I certainly wouldn’t be upset with the station or the anchor. The news is about telling the truth. The truth is there is no Santa Claus. If a news anchor can’t keep it real, who can?

In the two years I’ve been writing this blog, there has only been one time when I posted a blog and then deleted it. It was about Santa Claus, how he doesn’t exist and why I don’t understand why adults continue to perpetuate this myth. I was trying to be funny and the blog wasn’t funny.

I told Simone and Nadia that Mommy and Daddy are Santa Claus, yet they still believe. Why? Because so many adults mislead them, and children want to believe. Simone recently told me she wanted to talk to Santa so that he could buy the expensive gifts. Just the other day, she wanted to know where her list is so that she can put it in a mailbox at the mall.

Earlier this week, Nadia said: “Daddy, guess what! Santa Claus is really real! My teacher has Santa Claus’ cell number so that she can call Santa and tell him when girls and boys are being bad.”

I’ll keep saying what I am saying. Eventually, it will stick. I am so sorry to hear that a news anchor had to apologize for telling the truth.

Wanna know something funny? Santa is a European and American construct. In other countries he doesn’t exist and those kids grow up fine without believe this hype. My son is a bit to young to care but then he’s older enough he’ll get the “there’s no Santa” talk.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with the Santa myth – it’s innocent fun but there certainly ALSO isn’t anything wrong with someone debunking the myth. That is the chance once takes when dealing with Santa.

I have a problem with the fact that we lie to our kids and then call it magic. And then when someone speaks the truth, that we all actually do acknowledge in private, we flog them with a homework assignment to watch movies about how this made up figure is real.

You don’t need to believe that fantastical things are actually real to enjoy a lifetime of completely fun, imaginative and inventive play. Even making up crazy stories about the character that you know is not real, leaving cookies and milk for him and hearing his reindeer’s hooves on the roof. It’s not that hard people. I think we need to give our kids (even the youngest ones) more credit and let them into the inner circle of people who know that Santa is not real but that it is sure lots of fun to make believe that he is. 😀

When our daughter was 4 she approached us and basically asked us point blank whether there was really a Santa Claus and/or Tooth Fairy. “Do you really want to know the truth?” She thought about it for a few seconds: “Why don’t we wait until I lose this one last loose tooth and then you can tell me the truth.” Shrewd.

The news anchor did nothing wrong and she should not have had to apologize.
My sister and I knew from the beginning that our mom was ‘Santa’. That’s why she went to work everyday, so we could get gifts on Christmas morning.
I can remember from a very young age, feeling sorry for the kids who actually believed that Santa, whose knee they were sitting on, was real. I never did, burst their bubble.
I always wonder if kids feel betrayed when they find out their parents were lying to them for years?

I think that it’s a personal/family choice. I chose to let my daughter believe in Santa but I also talk to her about what we as a family really celebrate on Christmas. I respect the fact that some parents chose to tell their kids the truth about Santa but I also expect people to respect the fact that I do let my child believe in Santa. In regards to the news Anchor that had to apologize for saying Santa is not real… I totally disagree this is TV News, late news at that, there is no reason why he should have to apologize for doing his job. Maybe next time give some warning but seriously who let’s their kid watch the news at times that he/she should be in bed….